


any stranger I choose

by ExcuseMeMissT



Category: Figure Skating RPF, Olympics RPF
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Alternate Universe, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Happy Ending, Judgmental Pets, Love, MAGIC HAIR, Romance, Sweet, Tangled AU, Tiny bit of Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-31
Updated: 2019-08-30
Packaged: 2020-07-20 11:33:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19991476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ExcuseMeMissT/pseuds/ExcuseMeMissT
Summary: This is the story of how I died. But don’t worry, this is actually a very fun story. This is the story of a girl named Tessa.





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome, welcome, welcome, dear reader! 
> 
> This is my Tangled AU because I was watching it a while back and Rapunzel's big green eyes reminded me of our lovely Miss Tessa and Eugene Fitzherbert also looks a lot like Mr. Scott Moir so I opened my laptop and wrote this monstrosity. 
> 
> Many, MANY liberties have been taken with various aspects to fit the plot. 
> 
> The biggest thank you to my lovely friend lapetitemort who graciously read through this and fixed all my mistakes (and we all know how many I make) and in short, is an angel.
> 
> As always, if you're reading this Miss T and Mr. Moir, I'm so sorry.

_Any stranger I choose, and I choose you_

Scott: _This is the story of how I died. But don’t worry, this is actually a very fun story, and it isn’t even mine. This is the story of a girl named Tessa._

Muffled voice: Don’t be so dramatic, Scott.

Scott *rolls his eyes *: _We start with a single drop of sunlight that once fell by the cliffside and grew into a simple golden flower. Centuries later, a kingdom not too far away blossomed and grew, ruled by the Virtue family, King James, and Queen Katherine. When the queen was with child, she fell deathly ill so the king launched a search party to find the magical golden flower to help his wife and his baby. Now the reason no one had barely heard of or found the flower before was becasue a devious woman named Marina had discovered the healing abilities of this gift, activated by singing a special song, and used it to keep herself young and healthy for ages._

_When they finally found it, the guards uprooted the flower and brought it back to the palace where the head cook used its petals to brew a soup for the queen. She healed in due time and gave birth to a beautiful, healthy baby girl with long rosy tresses. They named their green-eyed child Tessa Jane and to celebrate her birth, the king and queen launched a floating lantern into the sky— for just that one moment, everything was perfect._

_But you see, Marina was angered for she believed that the king and queen had stolen from her. She could hear her bones grinding when she moved and she could see wrinkles etching onto her face whenever she looked into the mirror, so she broke into the palace nursery in the dead of night and tried to cut a bit of the child’s hair. As soon as her scissor snipped off a strand of soft baby hair, the tresses turned brown and Marina’s skin withered tenfold. So she decided to settle for the next best thing— she kidnapped the princess and vanished. The kingdom searched and searched but despite their best efforts, they could not find her. For deep within the forest, hidden away amongst the dense trees stood a looming tower where Marina raised the child as her own and was determined to keep her hidden._

_But the walls of that tower could not hide everything. Each year on her birthday, the king and queen would release thousands of glowing lanterns into the breezy night to serve as a beacon, perhaps to let their daughter know that they wouldn’t forget her and that they would always be looking, in hopes that one day, their lost princess would return._

~

You don’t remember how you got here.

Your head aches and you’re coming to slowly when you realize that you're bound to a rather uncomfortable chair with _hair?_ And to make matters worse, there’s something wet and slimy prodding the inside of your ear that makes you feel about ten times ickier. You slam your ear against your left shoulder and rub against it vigorously to dislodge the feeling of discomfort and take in your surroundings.

You seem to have been trapped in a green wooden chair with red hair, it's more of a reddish copper blonde, and you judge it to be quite long seeing as it's wrapped around your wrists and your chest AND your ankles and it leads on into a shadowed space where it’s draped haphazardly about the edges. You’re in a circular room that’s decorated with minimal furniture and an array of breathtaking paintings that tell the story of a dreamer. You struggle against your confines because dammit this is _hair_ when you detect a slight movement in the shadows.

“Struggling… Struggling is pointless!” A mysterious voice pipes.

She appears slowly; taking one hesitant step at a time with her arms held above her head tightly clutching a cast iron frying pan. She wears a baby blue dress that stops just at her mid legs and laces up the front. She has a small build and a complexion so pale, her skin might as well be pure milk. Your gaze wanders to her large, piercing green eyes. They were the green that coaxes the earth back to life after a long winter cold. The green that revives trees and the grass from the chilly season. The green of freshly cut emeralds that sparkle when the sun hits them at the perfect angle, rimmed by thick lashes. Her mouth moves and a sweet, melodic voice sounds but you don’t hear her question.

She clears her throat and asks with more authority, waving the frying pan in your face threateningly. “Who are you and how did you find me?”

She’s beautiful and you’re a red-blooded male so you try to come on to her in hopes that she releases you from your confines. Your charm has always worked with the ladies and even a few men if you do say so yourself— but that’s not a brag, of course, you are after all a humble thief.

“I know not who you are, nor how I came to find you but may I just say…” _pause for dramatic effect, Scott—“_ Hey, how’s it going? The name’s Flynn Rider.” Yes, you use your famous, roguish alias, the name you’ve been living and operating under for years now.

You just hope to God that she hasn’t seen any recent WANTED posters around, although to be fair she doesn’t look like she gets out much. You smile a little wider and cock your head to the side to appear more inviting. Surprisingly, you’re met with silence. It baffles you that this woman isn’t wooed by your charms or your sweet tongue so you tell her about your predicament. You’d been running from the palace guards because you had stolen the lost princess’ crown and— wait…

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Where, where is my satchel?!” You try very hard to level your tone so she doesn’t hear the nervous waver in your voice.

She tells you that she’s hidden it and then offers you a deal in return for your satchel: as she scrambles up the fireplace with practiced ease, she pulls away the drapes to reveal a painting of the night sky decorated with the lanterns the king and queen release every year in hope that one day their lost princess would return. There’s a little figure drawn into the corner gazing longingly at the orange-yellow spheres and you can feel the desire through the brushstrokes this woman has used. She explains her offer to you: you take her to see the floating lights, the lanterns, bring her back home to this tower and then she’ll return your precious satchel.

You shoot her your smolder in hopes of charming her out of this strange wish but she just looks at you weird.

“Something brought you here, Flynn Rider. Call it what you will; fate, destiny—“ The woman sneers your name and pulls at her hair with an astonishing amount of strength, dragging your chair closer and closer till you’re practically nose to nose with each other, ”—so I have made the decision to trust you.” _A horrible decision, really._

“But trust me, when I tell you this. You can tear this tower apart, brick by brick, but without my help, you will never find your precious satchel.” She looks at you menacingly with those mesmerizing, pine green eyes and you can’t help but agree. You are a thief after all so clarifications and straightening out any kinks in verbal contracts is an annoyingly necessary habit.

You clear your throat to try and focus on your words instead of her eyes. “So let me just get this straight. I take you to see the lanterns, bring you back home and you'll give me back my satchel?”

“I promise, and when I promise something, I never, ever break that promise.” You raise your eyebrows in question. “Ever.” She deadpans.

“Fine, now would you please help me out of all this hair?” She smiles, letting the chair fall back onto all its legs and then she works on loosening the ropes of hair around your ankles and wrists.

~

“You coming, Red?” You offer her your hand as if she needs your help climbing down the tower. She hesitates for a moment, chewing on her bottom lip and twisting her fingers into her hair. The lip-biting thing does something to you and the only thing you can compare it to is the loss of breath you felt when you first crawled your way in through her window.

“I think I got it, but you go down first.” She stands up straighter and brushes past you, gesturing at the tall window.

“As you wish, Red.” You address her as Red because of the otherworldly sanguine color of her hair— it is a color you’ve never seen before. It isn’t blood red or maroon or even burgundy. It isn’t ginger-colored or strawberry blonde or even golden. It’s rather a perfect blend of all those shades and it glints in the sunlight as she nervously hovers by the window.

“Tessa and this is Pascal,” she says as she pets the tiny green chameleon sitting on her shoulder. The phantom slimy feeling arises in your ear again and you cringe before making your way down the looming tower. _What a weird pet to have._

She streams down her hair, and once more the sheer amount and tensile strength of the coppery tresses astounds you beyond belief. You watch her emotions dribble back and forth between being excited that she’s going to explore the outside world and mortified at what her mother would do if she were to return to the tower and find her gone.

“Mother would be so furious,” her eyes go inexplicably wide as she whispers to no one in particular.

“That's okay, what she doesn’t know won't kill her, right?” She reasons as you walk.

“THIS IS SO FUN!” She hollers, scaring away the birds as she dashes around the forest like a hyperactive child that’s been fed too much sugar.

“I am a despicable human being.” She thunks her head against an old oak and she baffles you, perplexes you and she astonishes you beyond belief. Tessa is beautiful and naive and so you deduce that you’ll have to scare her enough so that she gives up and gives you back your loot before the Shibutani Siblings find you and plunder you for double-crossing them. You see a signpost for the Snuggly Duckling and the perfect plan formulates in your conniving head as you grab Tess by the shoulders and lead her into the direction of the inn.

~

You hear a rustle in the bushes and brush it aside as you go but Tessa gives a scream and clamors onto your back, brandishing her frying pan at the bunny rabbit that hops out. _Poor thing was probably on its way to hibernate in its burrow and Red here terrified it because of how terrified she was._

You give her a pointed look that turns into a heated stare as she blushes and tries hard to excuse herself and looking downright endearing while doing so. You find yourself clearing your throat and avoiding her gaze all the way to the musty inn, the strange sensation of mild guilt crawling all over your skin as you go. Walking in, you introduce her to the rustic, grimy tavern and its usuals who are all equally terrifying, but you forget that this group of thugs are ruthless and have probably seen your wanted posters all over the forest. The posters that just can’t get your nose right, it’s really very disheartening.

Once they recognize you, you’re immediately being passed around like a parcel, snatched by the next greedy guy citing his use for the money and you can hear Tessa fighting through the crowd to save your sorry ass. She finally gets their attention by using her hair to whack Hook Thug on his bald head with an overlying branch and then she gives them all a passionate speech about humanity and dreams that could’ve come straight out of a classic novel. They slowly lower you to the ground and step towards her cowering, retreating figure.

Then they all break into song.

You watch in utter fascination as each thug sings about his aspirations: Zach would like to quit and be a florist, Eric does interior design, Nik is into mime, Pat bakes, Elvis knits and Evan collects ceramic unicorns. They turn to you and it gets you thinking, “What about you?”

“I’m sorry, me? No, no sorry boys I don’t sing.” Hook Guy sneers at you menacingly but the delighted and hopeful look that graces Tessa’s face is what drives you to prance onto pub tables and so you sing a tune about a trivial island that you own all to yourself, surrounded by enormous piles of money because you really do dream about all those things; things you would’ve liked to have had growing up, the things you were going to have this time tomorrow if it weren’t for a certain green-eyed woman whose company you were beginning to enjoy.

Speaking of, it’s Tessa’s turn next and the thugs help her up onto a table so she can serenade them with her humble dream of seeing the floating lanterns gleam. You find yourself in awe of this petite, young woman with so much light to give and you start to feel kind of bad for trying to trick her. You decide then that you will do anything to make sure she gets to live her dream, with every comfort you can provide her and you’re going to make sure she gets back to her tower safely. Maybe even talk to her mother about loosening the reins on this bouncy spirit.

When the song ends, palace guards burst into the tavern with impeccable timing.


	2. Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You should know dear reader that this entire story has already been written but hasn't been edited and in between family visits and taking care of my nephews, unfortunately, time is scarce.  
> But we've made it to chapter 2 so I hope you enjoy!

“Where’s Rider!? Where is he?!” Capitan White hollers at the head of his group of sentries and red in the face. You have a serious cat and mouse relationship with this guy but when you see Alex and Maia enter the pub behind him, cuffed and guarded, the only thing on your mind is an escape plane and keeping Tessa safe. Those siblings might look innocent but you know that they are rotten and wicked.

You grab her and immediately duck under the bar counter, hauling her down to the sticky, grimy floor. Hook Guy— Andrew, you know his name now— crawls over and scares the shit out of you when he eerily hands over T’s frying pan and directs you to an underground passage that leads out of the inn and to the edge of the forest, and tells you two to follow your dream. You look to Tessa, innocent gratefulness and wonder clouding her eyes as she kisses the thug on his cheek in gratitude and the simple gesture causes a fire to burn in your chest. Then she bravely crawls into the secret tunnel and walks ahead into the darkness, gathering her hair into her arms as she goes.

You clamber after her with a torch in hand, and a million questions scramble like in a cyclone in your head as you try to initiate a conversation with her. This entire time it had been her doing most of the talking, which was mostly her flitting between delight and panic over leaving her tower and then charming a group of shady men. This shouldn’t be very hard for you because you are charming too, it’s part of the job description that comes with being a thief but you just can’t seem to find the perfect first question; _Why is your hair so long? Doesn’t it hurt when you step on it, I mean there is so much so you’re bound to step on it sometime? Your eyes are the greenest green I’ve ever seen— hey that rhymed._

Your thoughts are interrupted by her sweet voice ringing out and asking about your life. She’s beat you to it but you suppose that’s okay. “So, uh, Flynn— Where are you from?” she clasps her hands together in front of her and looms forward like an inquisitive child. Her question, however, causes your body to tense up in anxiousness and you wince at the thought of your past.

“Whoa, whoa Red, I don’t do backstory. I am, however, becoming very interested in yours.” You see her cringe slightly and share a look with Pascal, perched on her shoulder, in the increasing light at the end of the tunnel. You quickly continue because you don’t want to put her on the spot, it’s not like you know her or anything.

It’s not like you want to know her or anything.

“Now I know I’m not supposed to ask about the hair, or the mother or the chameleon. So here’s my question: If you’ve wanted to see the lanterns so badly, why haven’t you gone before?” You inquire because if you’re going to spend the next two days with this strange, mysterious girl, you might as well get to know her.

It’s not like you want to know her or anything, it's just a necessity.

“Uh, well… Um, you see,” but you never get to hear the rest of it because echoes of thundering footsteps and the angry cry of guards surge through the tunnel, reverberating in the stone. You and Red gather her hair and run as fast as your feet will carry you straight into the gaping maw of the gorge. The damn tunnel lead out to an abandoned construction site right next to the kingdom’s water dam.

Your brain starts to formulate every possible exit strategy: you could use the ladder but Capitan Charlie and his men could just cut off the ropes from the top before they reach the bottom. You could balance beam across the water pipes but that is risky with the added hazard of falling into the town’s water supply and contaminating it and just because you’re a thief doesn’t mean you aren’t environmentally friendly or socially responsible. You take too long and Charlie eventually catches up with the two of you. Tessa, surprisingly, springs into action and swings a thick rope of hair around a wooden post across the canyon, slams her frying pan into your hands and _leaps_. She soars through the air and lands on top of a rickety wooden post, steady on her feet as she uprights herself.

“I’ve been waiting a long time for this, Rider,” Charlie says as he comes at you, sword raised above his head. You improvise with the iron skillet in your hands— you trade blows, back and forth, parrying and shielding with a makeshift weapon and it’s the strangest thing you’ve ever done. Your weapons slam together again and again as you circle each other. Charlie drags his sword down, eliciting a sharp screech of metal against metal and shrill sound makes you cringe, its audible torture and the feeling is similar to that of Pascal sticking his tongue in your ear. That is right until Charlie flings your weapon right out of your hands. You raise them in defeat and think of all the sweet words and/or blackmail material to use to reason with your age-old nemesis but again, Tessa comes to your rescue just in the nick of time. You should probably tell her that you grew up with Charlie but then, err, chose different career options.

She swings a thick rope of hair that loops around your hand and you use it to vault across the gorge, narrowly missing the ShibSibs from slicing you to pieces as you swoop by. Where on Earth did they come from? While soaring through the air, you survey the stone walls and successfully locate the entrance of a cave the nasty Siblings had come through. Reaching Tessa, the two of you gather her hair and make a break for the cave, dodging falling rocks and oh, the dam that’s just broken. You see Charlie and his blundering guards charging at you and from the other corner of your eye, you spot Alex and Maia, menacing as ever. A gush of water starts to gather at your feet and you wonder if you’ll reach the cave before the flood drowns you.

It’s very close but you and Tessa rush into the cave just as a huge chunk of granite slams into the entrance with a resounding boom and blocks it completely, submerging you in darkness as water gushes in at an alarming rate though the crevices and holes in the blockage. You start to panic now as the cave starts to fill up and your survival mode kicks in as you scour the walls for loose rocks or some sort of passage you could break through to escape. You dive in to see if you can try your luck at the floor of the cave and you can hear Tessa banging against the wall with her frying pan and that distraction is enough to cause you to scrape your hand across a jagged edge which slashes a deep cut into your palm. “It’s no use, I can’t see anything,” you gasp as you come back up for air, clutching your cut hand close to your chest.

Then Tessa plunges into the water that has now reached your chests and you fish for her shoulders to haul her out as you tenderly move a sopping strand of hair out of her face to get a clearer view of her huge, fearful green eyes. Guilt sinks its claws deeper, its nails scratching your bones into you as you try to reason with her, “Hey, hey it’s pitch black down there.”

She pushes away from you and slumps against the rocky wall, shaking slightly with small sobs. “This is all my fault. Mother was right, I never should’ve left.” She sniffles and turns back to you, “If I hadn’t left this never would’ve happened, we wouldn’t be here like this drowning. I’m so sorry, Flynn.”

“Scott,” your voice wavers slightly as you reveal your true identity, the deep wound on your palm forgotten. Impending doom is a strange thing because while you were filled guilt and dread just mere moments ago, now you feel regret and unease and your throat feels like a golf ball is lodged in it as you try to come up with the words to apologize or to confront her or to tell her who you really are because if the two of you are about to die a watery death then what’ve you got to lose?

“My real name is Scott Moir, someone might as well know if we’re here like this drowning.” You offer her a smile and she, in turn, rubs at her nose as she says, “I have magic hair that glows when I sing,” chuckling a little. Well if you’re going to share secrets then you also might as well tell her about the time when you were a teenager and you— “Wait, what?”

“I have magic hair that glows when I sing! Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine…” She repeats and immediately starts to chant a rhyme so quick that the words blur together and you can barely register them as you take in a big gulp of air into your lungs before the water covers your heads.

The roots of her hair start to illuminate slowly at first and then the rose gold light becomes blinding. It’s utterly fascinating but you’re running out of time and you don’t have time to freak out just yet. A strand of her reddish glowing locks point to a pile of haphazard rocks. You share a look with Tessa in the soft light and then use your remaining strength and oxygen to shove aside the formidable heap to reveal an outlet into a small stream. The cave wall collapses entirely and you, Tessa and Pascal flow into the small river along with the remaining water. Bursting out of the confines of the stream you take several deep gulps of air into your burning lungs as you listen to Tessa’s squeals of happiness and relief but the only thing you can focus on right now is her hair. Her hair that glows.

“Your hair glows! I didn’t see that coming, the hair actually glows.” You look to Pascal and expect the chameleon to offer you a plausible explanation.

“Scott, we’re alive,” she calls and the chameleon offers you no comfort.

“Why does her hair glow?!” You finally exclaim in complete and utter disbelief.

“Scott! It doesn’t just glow.” She giggles as she pulls her sopping wet hair out with immense effort. Pascal’s scales turn bright green with a chirp, close to the color of Tessa’s eyes and he smiles at you. You gotta give it to the guy, he has a lot of composure— you might even be a teensy bit jealous. 

“Why’s he smiling at me?” You ask, as Tessa rolls her eyes and continues to haul her scarlet hair out of the stream, without answering any of your questions and smirking adorably.

~

“So you’re being strangely cryptic as you wrap your magical hair around my injured hand,” you say as Tessa does indeed delicately wind her crimson locks around your palm, up to your wrist. At the sound of your voice, she pulls the strand tight and that causes you to let out a hiss of pain.

“Oh, I’m so sorry! Now just don’t freak out, alright?” She says as she takes a deep breath in and out, shuts her eyes and starts to sing in a beautiful, melodic voice. 

“Flower, gleam and glow. Let your power shine,” the roots of her hair light up in brilliant golden light.

“Make the clock reverse, bring back what once was mine,” the strands continue to illuminate where her hair is haphazardly draped around the canopy of the tree under which you’ve claimed shelter. The beams of light flow quickly to the end of hair that is wrapped around your hand. “Heal what has been hurt. Change the Fates' design. Save what has been lost. Bring back what once was mine.” You still cannot wrap your head around this strange, strange woman and her even stranger ability that apparently has healing powers and is supposed to fix the very deep cut in your hand. You can feel it tingling with a peculiar sensation but you desperately want to chalk it up to the adrenaline that’s been coursing through your veins since the whole cave debacle. After the life you’ve led, there’s no possible way you can believe in magic.

“What once was mine.” The pinkish gold glow fades away from around you as she finishes her song on a deep note and opens her wide green eyes that look larger than ever in the dim light of the dying fire. You draw your hand away from Tessa and unwrap it to reveal… nothing. The cut is completely healed and there is no scar to suggest that there ever was such a nasty wound that marred your hand. Actually, you think that treatment has done more for the skin of your hand, it’s softer and even seems exfoliated maybe you should ask her for a full body treatment. Wait, the scar is gone?!

“Um, uh, UH,” You start to whimper in pure, unbridled shock. You’re about to start screaming and pulling your hair out in disbelief, you just need your tongue to catch up with your brain.

“Please don’t freak out!” Tessa yelps holding her hands in front of you as if to catch you if and when you faint and slump forward.

“Uhh, I’m not freaking out, are you freaking out? No, I’m just very interested in your hair and the magical qualities it possesses, how long has it been doing that exactly?” You transform all your nervousness into curiosity and tuck your hands under your armpits to prevent yourself from looking at your flawless hand and fidgeting any further.

Tessa, dear, sweet, Tessa takes a second to settle more comfortably on the log before launching into her past, her eyebrows moving up and down adorably to animate her words.

“Forever, I guess…Mother says that when I was a baby people tried to take its power for themselves and they tried to cut it. But once it’s cut, it turns brown and loses its power." She hesitates for a bit before continuing on, "A gift like that had to be protected. That why she never let me, sorry- that's why I never left and," she sighs with such great exhaustion that it wears down on her expression and pulls at the skin beneath her eyes.

“You never left that tower.” You finish her sentence for her. “And you’re still going to go back?” You press, peering into her wide eyes.

“No! Yes?” Her features turn conflicted and she covers her face with her hands, muffling her next words, “It’s complicated.”

You don’t push her any further for details because you don’t want to make her uncomfortable and after a moment to collect herself she turns back to you and raises an eyebrow. “So, Scott Moir huh? Can I call you Scotty?” She inquires, scrunching her nose as she shuffles closer to you on the log and places her chin in her hands.

“No, you may not. I remember the queen visited the orphanage once and she brought along this book to read to us, 'The Tales of Flynn Rider'. I was older than most of them so I knew my letters and phonetics and when she was leaving, she left me the book and gave me a pat on the back. It was the first act of kindness anyone had shown me since I'd lost my parents." Tessa shifts closer to you and lays a comforting hand on your thigh. "After that, I would read to the rest of the kids every night about this swashbuckling rogue, the richest man on earth and great with the ladies, mind you.” You drift off a little as you recall the story.

Tessa chuckles before she asks if the original Flynn was a thief too. “Well, no. Actually, he had more money than anyone could ever imagine. He could do anything he wanted to do, go anywhere that he wanted to go and for a child with absolutely nothing, I don’t know, it just seemed like a better option.”Tessa doesn’t say anything, she just smiles, and you’re grateful.

“You can’t tell anyone about any of this, please. It could ruin my whole reputation.” You say seriously. 

“Well, we wouldn’t want that.” Tess manages to say through what is the start of a fit of giggles. You want to hear it flourish into a full-blown belly laugh though, so you say “Well, a fake reputation is all a man has.”

“For the record, I think I like Scott Moir better than Flynn Rider," she giggles again and the sound tinkles delightfully in your ears. Without thinking, you press a sweet kiss to her cheek as you get up to gather more wood for the fire. It happens naturally as though you’ve been doing it for forever and if your face flushes lightly and your heart beats a little bit faster, so does hers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did ya like it? Come tell me in the comments or yell at me on twitter at ExcuseMeMsTessa. 
> 
> Also, I need ideas for chapter titles, anyone have any ideas...?


	3. Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have we really reached chapter 3?  
> The biggest thank you to lapetitemort20 for her constant support and my lovely new friends, The M.A.C. I love you, ladies!
> 
> I wanted to just clarify that Tessa's outfit throughout this story is her Umbrellas of Cherbourg dress.

Your dreams dissolve as the morning light creeps from beneath the horizon and birds tweet a sweet tune. It's always been a habit for you to be up and running at the very crack of dawn because of your, for lack of a better word, lifestyle— so it's not like you're exhausted but a full night's sleep in a comfy bed with goose-feather pillows wouldn't be too bad. You look over to Red, still fast asleep and wrapped up snuggly in her hair to keep warm with her chameleon slumbering by her shoulder. Your mind wanders to your hand again and you have to check again just to make sure that last night was real and that you didn't just dream it up. You lightly trace the fine lines that mark your palm with the history of your life, love and your mind in the dim light of dawn and think long and hard about how you're going to make your way about town today for her birthday. You look to Tessa's sleeping form once again and decide to settle a little closer to the fire, a little closer to Tess and turn in for a few more hours. You decide that the two of you and Pascal will be spontaneous today.

When you rouse again a few blissful hours later you shake her awake, wary of Pascal’s angry and irritated expression only to discover that Tessa mirrors her companions’ furiousness to the T because she’s not a morning person. You’ve already wished her a happy birthday as you exit the forest and then once again nonchalantly over your shoulder as you lead Tessa through the gates of the kingdom. She grabs your arms, fingers winding tightly with yours and her grogginess forgotten, but soon struggles to keep up as people keep stepping on her long trail of hair and tripping over her own two feet. You notice a gaggle of schoolgirls playing by the fountain at the town center and weaving flowers into each other’s hair as they braid it, and so you direct Red towards them while you make your way to the bank to operate your secret account. 

You just needed to withdraw a hefty pouch of coins from your vault, enough for a day of treats for a birthday girl. You’re still a thief, but a thief with honor who has a bank account as part of a contingency plan. The world may be ruthless but it’s the best teacher and it harrows you to think of when life will cross Tessa in such a way that she loses her softness and naivety and becomes as ruthless. Speaking of which, as you weasel through the crowd and cower from patrolling guards while making your way back to her, you stop and falter for a moment. 

She is beautiful, but you already knew that. Right now she looks _exquisite._

Tessa twirls around to display her new thick, coppery blonde plait with flowers pinned into the strands and glittering ribbons weaving through for extra support. Her baby blue skirt swishes against her ankles as she crosses her feet shyly and looks up at you, eager. The little girls perch around her and look very pleased with themselves for the masterpiece they’ve created.

“What do you think?” Tessa asks and you don’t trust yourself enough to use words so you hum and nod your approval and hand the girls peaches and sweets as a token of gratitude. You offer Red your arm as you show her around the square that is bustling and busy with preparations of the lost princess’ birthday tonight. What a happy coincidence that it’s T’s birthday today as well.

She drags you about with a newfound confidence from one street food vendor to the next, opting to marvel at the variety of colors and flavors of different confectioners and sweets. You buy her a cupcake with strawberry frosting because she always smells like them and you get yourself a blueberry one as the two of you duck into a dark alcove, hiding from a pair of pesky palace guards. She swipes some frosting onto your cheek and giggles, the sound of her joy tinkling in your ears and causing your breath to catch. You drop a sneaky kiss onto the rosy apple of her cheek and she giggles some more. You think it’s the most beautiful sound in the world which is a big improvement from the noise of jingling coins that you used to love.

You take her to the library and Tessa gasps for so long you think she might faint from the lack of oxygen because she’s so overwhelmed. T rides the wheeled ladders from shelf to shelf and throws open atlases and encyclopedias and mystery novels and almost everything she can get her hand on. She reads to you with your head pillowed in her lap and her fingers carding through your hair. You tease her and tickle her sides making her laugh and then you make it your goal to keep doing so. You want to make her happy, happier than she’s ever been before.

After leaving the library, you see a little girl trotting around, holding a basket in her arms laden with the kingdom’s flag— a royal purple background with a bright yellow sun and the Virtue family crest embellished underneath in delicate gold thread embroidery.

_Virtute Non Aliter_

You purchase one and hand it to Tessa, who smiles widely, thumbing the words and tucking it into the little pocket of her dress. She’s drawn to a crowd of people gathered around the town center where they’ve set up the ice rink. It’s a small thing, with well-advanced cooling systems to maintain the thickness of the ice and to allow people to glide across it in shoes they called ice skates— boots with a sharp, steel forged blade screwed to the bottom. You used to go all the time when you were a child but then the orphanage ran out of money at one point and they could no longer spare such expenses. It used to be your favorite thing to do as a child with your family before a series of unfortunate events took place and you were, er, let’s just say you were separated. You don’t allow dark thoughts to cloud you and instead look to Tessa’s bright and smiling face. 

She just looks at you with a mixture of want and astonishment and soon enough, you find yourself renting two pairs of skates and stepping onto the ice, leading Tessa in gentle strokes along the perimeter of the rink. You guide her as to how to bend her knees and engage her core and she picks it up pretty quickly for a rookie. She’s skating well enough on her own but she doesn’t let go of your hand as the two of you dance around the ice to the tune being played by street musicians. The tempo of the music builds slowly and you and Tess skate faster, letting the rhythm of the beat guide your edges and turns and spins.

There's a moment on the ice when your heart slows and your grip on Tessa's hand tightens by just a fraction more. It's when she is skating on one foot with the balance and grace of a dancer and when she realizes what she's doing, she looks up at you with sheer joy sparkling in her eyes and the widest smile curved upon her lips. She lets out an odd sound, something otherworldly. It escapes her mouth again, louder this time and gleeful, something between a laugh and a cry that reverberates through you and echoes in your soul. She comes back by your side again and mirrors your strokes perfectly and as she does so, she changes the way she clasps your hand, clutching your thumb and fitting her small pinky snugly between your index and middle fingers. It's a more intimate hold that allows you to feel her pulse pounding away in time with yours as it rests against your palm.

“Do you trust me, Tess?” You ask because the feeling you’re feeling is exhilarating and you want to keep relishing in it.

“What?” She doesn’t break eye contact as you reiterate your question.

“Do you trust me?”

“Yes,” and it’s that simple. You guide her hands to clasp firmly around your neck and bend your legs into a flawless spread eagle as you effortlessly lift her by the waist to sit on your thigh. She yelps and takes a moment to find her balance, shifting her weight to her core and tightening it. The two of you curve sharply, carving an arc into the ice and upon dismount, you spin Tessa with your hands held above your head and then guide her to dip back low in your arms as you bring your head to rest on her chest.

Your trance is broken by the loud claps of the surrounding crowd and fellow skaters and only then do you let go of Tessa’s hand. You all but have to pry her off the ice and drag her to the boat as the town market starts to close and vendors join their families on the roofs of their houses to launch lanterns and celebrate together. It’s strange, but you feel as though your hand is perversely heavy and a deadweight without Tessa’s.

~

The sun is beginning to dip, casting an array of pastel orange hues to color the clear sky. It’s time for you to launch phase two of your plan so you steer Tessa and her paper bags of goodies towards a secluded spot at the edge of the docks where a small rowboat floats. You help her into it, her small hands holding yours tightly as she inquires about where you’re taking her.

“You’ll see,” you chuckle as you start to row.

It’s the best night of her life and you want her to have the best view because she deserves nothing less. As you reach the designated spot marked by a buoy, the boat takes moment to settle in the lightly disturbed water and so it rocks a bit. The atmosphere isn’t hot or humid at all, it’s actually quite pleasant so you don’t know why you can feel beads of sweat rolling down your temple and your back. Tessa sighs audibly and you instantly worry that she may not like the idea of being surrounded by water— what if she doesn’t know how to swim? You should’ve asked her before rowing all the way out here, not that she would’ve directly refused to come, no, your girl is too polite for that.

“Hey, are you okay?” You ask, carefully trying to control the concern coloring your voice.

“I’m terrified. I’ve been looking out my window for as long as I can remember, dreaming about what it would feel like to see those beautiful lights rise in the sky. What if…What if it’s not everything I dreamed it would be?” She says as she turns to you with a hint of moisture lining her wide, green eyes.

“It will be, T.” All you have to offer her is assurance.

“And what if it is? Then what?” Her face pulls into a contrite expression.

You have to think of the right words to say, the simplest string of phrases that won’t scare the wonderful maiden before you into never dreaming again. It can be a dangerous thing to stop dreaming so you knit your fingers through hers and give her hand a gentle squeeze as you open your mouth.

“Well that’s the best part— you get to go find a new dream.” And then you turn to stare at the rising kingdom ahead of you. She follows your actions and you assume that she’s probably thinking of the next place she’d like to go or next artifact she would like to see, making up detailed itineraries with all the newfound knowledge she harnessed in the library. As you wait for the lanterns to rise, you realize that your dreams and aspirations have also changed. You’ve met that one person that makes you forget about yesterday, and dream about tomorrow and you're not sure you can let her go.

Anticipation makes time walk on by like a sloth. It absolutely kills you to continue to wait for the first light to shine like an itch you can’t seem to reach. Red sits by your side, patient as ever but when the first lantern finally, finally casts a glow in the otherwise dark, blue sky and Tessa sees its reflection in the still water, she sits up sharply and races to the stern of the boat, causing it to rock in the water dangerously. You see her grasp tighten on the mast and her expression transform into one of delightful awe as the rest of the city folk release their lanterns and within a few moments, the sky resembles a burnt-orange, sepia sunset all in remembrance of the lost princess. Even Pascal melts at the sight before him, his scales shimmering and shifting till his hue is a vibrant forest green. You’ve seen the celebration countless times but it’s always been alone on a rooftop or from the confines of a jail cell you’re planning to escape but this time is different. It’s different because you’re with her.

Tessa’s mouth hangs open and she’s completely lost in the countless orange globs against the clear, deep blue sky. It’s the perfect time to extract the lanterns you had bought discretely and to ignite their flames. You clear your throat to capture her attention and the breathtaking smile her lips turn into has been worth every drop of sweat and every coin you’ve spent in the last two days. The soft glow of the lantern in your hand casts a different light upon her features making her look ethereal and radiant and you’re afraid to say anything that might ruin the moment.

“I have something for you too,” She pulls out your satchel from the bottom of the boat and you chide yourself for not noticing it before. “I was going to give it to you before but I was just scared. And the thing is, I’m not scared anymore, you know what I mean?" She peers at you with her gorgeous green eyes and truth is that nothing except for Tessa makes sense anymore.

"I'm starting to,” you say as you lower the satchel and hand her her lantern. The two of you release your lanterns into the crowded night sky simultaneously and watch as they float away. She keeps looking at hers, tracking it with a sharp gaze till she loses it amongst the thousands of other lanterns and then starts to admire the reflection of the glowing sky and city in the calm water. You watch her every nuanced movement with admiration clouding your eyes and feel _love_ flood your heart and pour from your gaze.

You love her, you love this woman you met just forty-eight hours ago. Tessa is amazing and compassionate and charming and generous and selfless and there are not enough adjectives in the world to fully describe this incredible woman.

You take her hand and she turns to you with wonder in her eyes. They are such a perfect color, glittering emeralds sometimes, and at other times, the shade of springtime ferns dancing in the wind. You open your mouth to tell her to lay your heart bare but then you stop yourself. _Maybe I should kiss her first, ease her into the feeling…?_

You lean in till your faces are all but a hair’s breadth apart. You're about to give her your all, that is until you hear a rustle and notice familiar shadows lurking on the shore behind Tessa, illuminated by the sickly green light of an oil lamp. Your heart rate escalates but not for the reasons you would like it to. It's the Shibutani Siblings and they've found you. They meld into the dark shrubs and trees and the light of their lamp winks out as they signal you to join them for a discussion or else. The bone they’re about to pick is a big one.

_Dammit, Charlie, you had one freakin' job._

~

After frantically rowing to shore, you pull the boat onto the beach toss the oars to the side, snatching the satchel from where it lays forgotten at the bottom of the boat.

“Everything is alright, I promise. There's just something I have to take care of. Okay. I'll be right back.”You swing the strap of the satchel over your neck and look to her again.

Tessa looks worried and it kills you to leave her alone without explanation but you figure that it's more important right now to send the siblings on their way, you can explain to Tessa all about your bad decisions and questionable associations later, perhaps over a tall coffee.

As you trudge towards them, you realize that only Maia is sitting on a pile of large boulders running the smooth edge of a stone back and forth on her sword. Alex, however, is nowhere in sight. “Hey, I’ve been searching everywhere for you guys since we were separated. Hey, the fringe is coming in nice, eh Maia? You gotta be excited about that.”

Their sneers deepen and Maia sharpens her sword over a rock eliciting a tantalizing screech from the metal. That’s your cue to wrap this up and run in the opposite direction as fast as your legs can carry you.

“Anyhow, I just wanted to say, I shouldn't have split. The crown is all yours,” you say as you toss the satchel to the gravel floor, which opens upon impact and causes the crown to fall out and skid over the pebbles. 

“I'll miss you guys, but I think it’s for the... best.” The end of your sentence gets caught in your throat as you turn around and bump into the missing Shibutani brother. The scar on his chin glistens sickeningly in the dying light of the lanterns as he pulls out a short dagger and motions for you to turn around. Maia jumps off the rock pile, her boots causing dust to rise in her wake as she marches over to you, kicking the precious tiara to the side as she goes.

“Holding out on us again, eh Flynn? We heard you found something. Something much more valuable than a crown.” She walks forward until her sword is angled dangerously at your throat, digging in with her next words and drawing blood.

“We want her, instead.” She says gravely, looking over your shoulder.

Judging by your expression, Maia must not think you're about to cooperate so she signals her brother and Alex knocks you on the side of your head with the butt of his dagger. Your last thought as black spots cover your vision is Tessa.

“Tess…” You regain consciousness when a loud thwack of wood colliding with wood rings in your ears followed by the familiar shouts of city guards. Those rotten siblings had tied you to the wheel of their small ship and with the crown secured to your hand discreetly. One by one, the guards jumped aboard and began to undo your restraints only to handcuff you again.

“No. No, no, no, Tessa! TESS!” You yell at the top of lungs, frantically turning your in all directions trying to get a glimpse of her from somewhere, anywhere. All you need to know is that she’s safe, that’s all the matters. If Maia and Alex do something to her because of you then you’ll never be able to forgive yourself.

She’s all that matters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Regarding recent events, I just wanna say that I will not remove any of my fics nor will I stop writing. I support VirtueMoir, I support Scott and Tessa and wish them the best of luck always.  
> Yes, I was upset but at the end of the day, they are two fully grown adults who have their lives together and have achieved monumental success through hard work and dedication which I admire very much.


	4. Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For my lovely friends, M.A.C. (FSPF). You ladies are awesome!  
> This particular chapter is for echoesofstardust, from one of your many foster mothers.

You wake up the next morning in a jail cell with no recollection of how you got there. Your throat is scratchy from screaming your lungs out, voice rather hoarse and your eyes are swollen and red from the terrifying thoughts of Tess in danger that have been playing your mind ever since you left her by that boat. _Lord knows what Maia and Alex would’ve done to her._ The barred window in the cell allows a few beams of pale morning light through and you can’t hear the birds just yet so it must be the time just before dawn. The time when the executions and death penalties are announced. Your thoughts are confirmed by the jingling of keys and the ringing of the metal door as it slides open with Captain Charles standing on the other side, a grim expression marring his face.

“Let’s get this over with, Rider.” He says and the guards behind him step into the cell with chains and cuffs held in their gloved hands. Your own hands drift up to your neck as impending doom dawns on you. You don’t want to die, you can’t die and not because you have your eye on another loot or an island somewhere far off to escape to but because you have to save Tessa. Not that she needs saving, she’s quite capable of defending herself but you just have to know that she’s safe and that she has another wonderful dream to chase. And also because you really need to tell her that you love her, maybe you’re a little bit selfish.

As the guards walk you through the ever-extending maze of corridors and jail cells with your wrists fastened behind your back, you see the wretched Shibutanis held captive in opposing prisons. Maia has a fantastic bruised left eye, a splotch of green and yellow on her deceiving face— you hope that one hurts like hell. Alex is standing by the door of his cell clutching the bars with his head hanging between his shoulders. Red-hot, blinding rage floods your body rapidly, making you tremble, and you shove the guards holding your arms to the side, knocking them down before you jump up high and swing your bound hands from behind you. Now with slightly more freedom of motion, you reach through the bars and grab hold of Alex’s collar, pulling him forward roughly so that his face collides with the metal and his teeth rattle, causing his lip splits upon impact, gushing blood.

“How did you know about her? Tell me, now!” You yell in his face, determined to get an answer out of the moron before the sentries rush in because of the commotion and detain you.

“It wasn't us. It was the old lady.” Alex whispers pathetically, shaking as blood drips down his chin.

“Old lady?” You hold on the fabric loosens with the revelation you have just received and by then Charlie has wrestled your arms down, locked you in a hold and is savagely pushing you forward again, angered on by the cheering shouts of the rest of the prisoners.

"Wait, no, wait! You don't understand, she's in trouble.” But nobody listens as a new, cold regret settles within your gut. “Wait! Charlie, I mean, Captain. Please, please you have to listen to me. You have to let me go, I have to save her!”

“Shut up,” Charlie grabs your collar and shoves your neck down bringing his mouth close to you ear. “Shut up, Moir and just walk. I have a plan.” And just like that you become compliant and stop your struggles as your childhood friend squeezes your arm in a silent promise.

Once you’ve left the dungeons, he turns to his sentries. “Men, I need you to go and prepare the rest of the death penalties scheduled for today. Oh, and drop by the executioner and tell him to sharpen his blade thoroughly this time. I do not want a repeat of what happened last time and I certainly do not want to spend precious daylight wiping blood off of stones because he was too lazy to sharpen his blade and had to hack away at that poor thief’s head more than once.” The picture he’s just painted makes you cringe, hard. The sentries on the other hand, have turned a sickly shade of green as if they’re going to hurl their breakfast all over their commanding officer.

“No need to worry about Rider, I’ll take care of him. We’ve got a lot of history to settle,” Charlie gives you a little shove to show off his authority and his men turn right around, on their way to follow his orders. As soon as they’re out of sight and the sound of their footsteps can no longer be heard, Charlie pulls out a circlet of keys from his pocket and unlocks your cuffs with a formidable click.

“Scott, you’re the biggest idiot in the world, not to mention the worst thief ever! Petty theft is one thing but stealing from the royal family?! Stealing the lost princess. Goddamn. Crown. You great, big idiot! How is it that I am risking my neck and my job, which I worked very hard to get, by the way, to bail your ass out of trouble yet again?!” He rants and he grumbles leading you through a side passage to an escape gate. You open your mouth again to offer your childhood friend a feeble explanation but he holds a hand up for you to stop.

“No, don’t tell me. I don’t want to hear about it and be more involved than I already am but from the look of desperation on your face, my hunch is that it's a girl. This is, without a doubt, the most unethical stunt I have ever pulled in my line of duty. I took an oath, oh my God.” Charlie huffs and produces a handkerchief from his pocket to dab away as the nervous drops of sweat that shine on his temples and above his upper lip. You feel bad for putting your friend in such a position and you’ll have to repay him for every other time he’s saved your ungrateful ass but for now, you have to get to Tess. You have to know she’s okay.

“You’re a good friend, Charlie.” He finally meets your eyes and gives you a firm nod.

“I’ll give you ten minutes, Moir,” Charlie says as he pushes the lever of the rickety wooden gate down.

“Thanks, Chuck.” You say breathlessly between desperate gasps as the gate rises. _Man, am I out of shape._

“Yeah, yeah. Now get going before I change my mind. Max!” The captain of the royal guard whistles for his horse to step forward so you can mount him and then he gives the majestic animal and strong slap to the rump. The horse surges forward and picks up speed with incredible pace. He tosses his sword to the ground, the weapon producing a resounding clatter on the cobblestone floor, another part of Charlie’s elaborate scheme. 

“RIDER!” You hear him wail for theatrics as more thundering footsteps gather at the gate. Without looking back, you tighten your hold on the reins and guide the horse deep into the dense foliage of the forest.

~

The sky is a drab grey, shrouded with angry clouds that only allow small rays of sunlight to pierce through and the air sparks with bolts of unease when Maximus slows his gallops into a trot as you approach Tessa’s looming tower.

“Tessa!” You place your hands around your mouth and yell. “Tess, let down your hair.”

For a moment, there’s no response but you are nothing if not determined so you jam your fingers and toes into the crevices between the stones of the tower and try to claw your way up until a thick strand of hair falls from her tower window, glinting as it unravels in the dying light of the day. 

Your breath comes in short, hard huffs as you haul yourself over the windows ledge. “Tessa, Tess! Sweetheart, I thought I’d never see you again,” There’s sweat on your brow, and your limbs shake with effort but the hopeful smile that paints your face is wiped clean off when you see Tessa.

She is bound and gagged, her small hands chained behind her as she struggles hard to break free. She has dark circles around her eyes and her broken, unfocused gaze transforms quickly into that of terror as she struggles harder and lets out muffled warning cries at you as you cautiously make your way over to her. You dismissed her clear distress because you did scan the room before you stepped off the window. You didn’t look behind you though, because you’ve almost always had people watching your back. Not today though, your luck has run out today.

You feel the pointy end of a dagger pierce its way through your ribs and the sudden wave of overwhelming pain makes you drop to your knees with a painful thud. There is blood on your knuckles, seeping through past your fingers and your vision starts to blur. The pain shoots through your chest and makes your body spasm as you try to crawl towards Tessa. She continues to wrench at the chains that cuff around her wrist and you’re worried that they might scuff and bruise the delicate, porcelain skin.

“Now look what you did, Tessa.” A grave voice rattles and a hefty figure wearing a black cloak step over you. This must be _her._

“Don’t worry, precious flower. Our secret die with him.” Tessa’s vile mother stalks over to her, yanking on her chains savagely and muttering in her harshly accented tongue. Tessa struggles and struggles, screaming against the gag, her face streaked with tears and angry, red splotches forming on her cheeks out of sheer frustration.

“Tessa, you stop fight me!” The hag screeches as she keeps dragging Tess towards a trap door but your lady love resists against her confines and bumps into a tall mirror causing it to fall and shatter into countless pieces of glass just like your heart as you feel helpless at her anguish. You can feel your blood flow slow to a trickle seeing as most of it has already left your body. In your haze you see Tessa’s gag loosen and fall away.

“NO! No, I won’t stop for every minute of the rest of my life, I will fight. I will never stop trying to get away from you, Marina!” she protests, jangling her cuffs to emphasize her point. If you weren’t lying on the floor dying, you’d probably applaud her. 

“But,” In all the time you’ve known her, which is a whooping two days, you’ve never heard Red’s voice colored with desperation. She’s always been headstrong— it’s one of the many things you love about her but now her tone causes a chill to run down your spine in anticipation of what she's about to do.

“But if you let me heal him, I’ll go with you. I will never try to run away again, we can be together if you just let me heal him.” Marina looks thoroughly unconvinced. 

“I promise we will be together forever, please, let me heal him. Just like you want, just like things were before, I promise.” Tessa tries again, softening her voice as she seals the deal. 

_And when I promise something, I never, ever break that promise._ Her words ring in your ears and use what little strength you can muster to stop her from her killing her dream. “No, Tess. You mustn’t,” 

But Tessa doesn’t pay any attention to you, locked in a silent battle with Marina and when you reach out towards her, your vision goes blank. 

~

When you come to, Marina has switched the chains from Tessa onto your wrists, locking them and tossing the rusted key away into the darkness. “In case you try to follow us,” she sneers in your ear, her words heavily accented.

“Scott, oh my Scott.” Tessa scampers over to you with haste and takes hold of your pale hands, gently moving them aside so that she can assess your wound. You’ve been moved and jostled around too much and so the flesh that had begun to heal has torn open again and a fresh stream of blood now started to ooze out of your side. Tessa sucks in a quick breath through her teeth clearly appalled by the stab wound.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. It’s going to be okay, I promise—“ she bundles a strand of hair and goes to press it to your ribs but you push her away, swatting at her hands to just get her away from yourself. 

“No, Tess. I can’t let you do this.” You rasp and her sweet, angelic face twists into a devastated expression. 

“And I can’t let you die,” her voice croaks.

“But if you do this—“ you have to gasp for air while weakly removing her hands from your side as she shushes you and caresses your cheek, “— then you will die.”

“Hey, it will be okay.” Her voice is firm as she shuts her eyes and takes a deep breath to prepare for her healing incantation.

“Tess, wait.” You grab a glass shard with your bloodied hand and since you’re already dying, what you’re about to do doesn’t really kill you. You reach up to gently caress Tessa’s face with your free hand, tracing the shell of her ear before winding your fingers in her hair and securing it all in a bunch at the nape of her neck. She leans down and probably thinks you’re going to kiss her. She probably thinks that after she lets you kiss her, you will let her heal you but you can’t let her do that. You love her.

You love her too much to let her throw away her dreams for you.

And so you forsake your life as you use the sharp piece of mirror glass to slice through her thick, reddish-blonde tresses. “Scott, what…” Her sentence falters and her face contorts as an array of emotions flash across her features. Your dying strength allows you to recognize shock and betrayal and hopelessness as the remaining hair on her head turns a murky chestnut brown.

You hear Marina screech and thrash around as she tries to gather the copper strands of hair but they are browning too quickly, the rich color slithering around the room where ever the hair was draped and finally seeping into the tresses held by the old witch as her age catches up to her.

“What’ve you done, foolish boy! Blah!” Her body hunches over as her hair fades to white and her face etches with deep furrowing wrinkles. When she turns behind her to look into the broken mirror, Marina lets out another wail that shatters your hearing as she pulls the hood of her cloak over her face to hide her wretchedness. She stumbles around repeating her denial over and over, and then she trips over the ledge of the cursed window and dissolves into nothingness.

Tessa is motionless beside you for just a moment as it dawns on her that the only, somewhat parental figure she’s had all her life is now gone. A rattling cough escapes your lungs and her attention is brought back to you as she scooches over and brings your head to rest in her lap.

“No, no, no Scott. Look at me, look at me I’m right here.” She scrambles for your hand and presses it into the frayed edges of her hair as she sobs her healing song. Her tears are really coming in now, pouring over her cheeks and dripping onto yours. “Stay with me, Scott. Please,”

“Tessa, Tess. You were my new dream.” You are acutely aware of her hand cradling your head and the other one clutching your limp, lifeless one. You see the dark shadow that stands behind her and holds a scythe, waiting for you with its head tilted to one side and its blade angling painful rays of light into your eyes. Nothing hurts anymore, everything feels like nothing and if this is how you go, in the arms of your love then you honestly don’t mind.

“And you were mine.” She hiccups and then your breath stutters as your eyelids slip shut for the final time and your vision is overcome with blackness.


	5. Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've come to the end of this story, dear reader. I hope you enjoyed and please do thank the lovely ladies of the M.A.C. (FSPF), they have been so amazing and supportive.

In the few moments after your ‘death’, you always assumed that there would be a great white or black abyss and a guide to instruct you into the hereafter or some booming voice to condemn you for your crimes as a thief. There’s no such thing.

You’d thought that death would be a whole ordeal but all you feel is a scintillating sensation that alternates between hot and cold as it travels through your body. You are suspended in a feeling of nothingness as your body heals and rejuvenates and as your sense slowly come back to you, you hear the whoosh of an escaping shadow in your ear and you feel two very solid and soft hands in your hair and on your cheek. As a new breath enters your lungs, your nose picks up hints of strawberry and vanilla in the air and if heaven is going to smell like Tess and feel like Tess and maybe it’s alright after all. When you take a peek, heaven looks like Tess too and by then there’s enough blood being supplied to your brain for you to deduce that you’re not dead and Tessa probably saved your life and brought you back from the brink of death, you just hope that she didn’t sell her soul or your firstborn to the devil to do so. 

“Tess,” your throat is awfully dry so your voice comes out in an unattractive croak which shocks her and she can’t believe that you’re alive.

“Scott?” She must think she’s hallucinating.

“Did I tell you I have a thing for brunettes with green eyes?” You open one eye to take a peek at her astonished expression and then both to see her face flood with joy beyond measure. She gasps your name in delight and winds her arms around you tightly and you reciprocate the hug with the same intensity, if not more, burying you face in her neck and breathing her in.

“Scott,” she whispers into your ear and the warmth of her breath has you shivering. You pull away so you can look into her eyes that are red-rimmed but sparkling with happiness.

“Tess, I love—“ you start to caress her soft cheek but she pushes herself closer to you and slams her mouth down on yours. The kiss intensifies all your senses; you can see more clearly, the colors around you are more vibrant and it's too much so you allow your eyelids to slip shut and savor the salty taste of her leftover tears on her lips as she tentatively slides her tongue along the seam of yours. The gasp she lets out when you allow her entrance into your mouth echoes in your ears and the vanilla scent of her seems to magnify exponentially. The feel of her, however, is most overwhelming because you don’t keep your hands in one place— they’ve fallen out of your control and roam her back of their own free will mapping the contours of her torso and then then drift up to her neck and back into her freshly cut hair, angling her to your left so you can deepen the kiss. Tessa’s hands respond by sliding up the collar of your shirt to delicately cup your face, her thumbs rubbing tender circles around your cheekbones. 

The two of you have to stop kissing at some point because oxygen is a thing and after catching your breath you gaze at her and complete the declaration you’d started before Tessa had so ferociously attacked you (Not that you’re complaining).

“I love you, Tess,” you whisper onto her lips. She smiles against yours and shyly volleys the sweet words back.

“I love you too, Scott.” Tessa presses her lips to yours again in a quick peck and then another and then helps you to your feet as the two of you and a thoroughly frightened Pascal figure out where to go from here. 

~

Never did you ever think that you would be standing before the King and Queen, hands folded respectfully in front of you, gulping nervously as Tessa stands before her parents.

Her parents.

The fact she so casually revealed to you as you rode Maximus back into the kingdom, that Marina had kidnapped her as a baby for her hair to keep her young and beautiful for forever but then the lanterns had enthralled her so much her entire life that she just had to see them in person and so she’d coerced you into helping her escape her tower so she could go see them. You had spent the past few days gallivanting around the kingdom with its lost princess and you had fallen in love with her and if they figure out that you did all those things, things could escalate into a mess even Charlie won’t be able to help you out of. Maybe you could play the _I returned your lost princess to you, please don’t hurt me_ card. 

Before your thoughts can steamroll off the rails, the sensible part of your brain pulls the brakes because the royals have begun to tentatively approach their daughter who is standing beside you. The queen wears a deep-royal blue dress with a modest flare and a thin circlet of gold, lightly bejeweled, encircles her platinum hair. At first glance, you don’t see the resemblance, but when you look closely, her eyes are unmistakably Tessa’s. The same intense forest green, though hers are worn through with eighteen years of wait, sadness, and hope.

The king wears a set of a tunic, coat, and breeches that match his wife’s attire and a crown atop his salt and pepper hair. At first glance, you don’t see the resemblance, but when you look closely, his mouth and forehead are unmistakably Tessa’s. Though his face is marred with age and the agony of a lost child.

You watch as Tessa stares at them dazed and rather hesitant. She even steps back when her mother comes closer to inspect her more thoroughly, to caress her cheek, unblinkingly, as though Tessa might disappear if she shuts her eyes for even a second. Finally, the Queen’s steel-like composure breaks and she lets out a sob of relief as she embraces her long lost daughter, folding her child into the warm embrace of her arms and breathing her in. The king joins as well, bringing his arms around his wife and daughter, chuckling as they sink to the floor.

It’s a precious sight and you’re more than happy for your lady love, but you can’t help the slight pang of sadness that stabs your heart as you recall your family or lack thereof. Kate holds her hand out to you as if she senses your pain and you take it graciously, appreciating the comfort. You’re pleasantly surprised when she yanks you down and adjusts you around Tessa so that all four of you are bundled together in a loving hug, like a loving family.

The kingdom rejoices for its lost Princess has returned and the welcome back party lasts an entire week, with citizens expressing their happiness for their sovereigns and swearing fealty to Tessa, beloved by all she would go on to lead the kingdom with the same grace and wisdom her parents did before her and inspire others to live their best life. Dreams come true all over the place; Charlie received a medal for his capture of the Shibutani Siblings, the guys from the Snuggly Duckling had all their wishes fulfilled and Pascal never changed, chirping constantly in contentment from all the attention he received.

You’ve never been more grateful for stealing from royalty, but if you’re going to be with the princess, you’re gonna have to turn yourself around. You start going by the name Scott again and stop thieving, basically get your life in check. You pay a visit to your old orphanage and set up funds to improve their infrastructure and to add to their resources. Tessa helps out as much as she can of course. You even go to the Queen one evening to sincerely thank her for The Tales of Flynn Rider all those years ago— for giving you hope— and she, in turn, thanks you for reuniting her with her daughter.

You sometimes like to swipe Tessa’s crown off her head when she pretends not to notice and it’s become a game between the two of you. She pays her ransom in kisses and you return her tiara and so on the last night of the party, when all the townsfolk have shared their own special moment with their princess, your nimble fingers pluck the tiara off her pretty little head and then you stand next to her watching as the palace gates are lowered.

Then it’s just the two of you left in the grounds and when Tessa realizes that she’s been robbed, she simply turns to you and fixes you with a smirk so devastatingly endearing you don’t even make her pay for the return of her headpiece, you just place it back onto her head and entwine your fingers with hers in what has become your signature handhold. She gazes down at her pinky tucked between your index and middle finger, stopping to admire the way your hand encompasses her tiny one.

“You coming, Red?” You tug on her hand and tilt your head towards the royal musicians setting up their instruments, lead by Andrew from the Snuggly Duckling. 

“You know you can’t call me that anymore, Scott,” she remarks, her fingers coming up to card through the short, chocolate brown tresses that frame her head. Her tiara glints and sparkles in the setting sunlight and so you gently pull her hand away from her head and lead her into the center of the palace courtyard to dance to a mellow tune.

“Well then what would you like me to call you, princess?”

“Not princess, that’s for sure.”

“Your highness?” She pulls her face into a look of mock disgust, or she tries to, rather. You think the scrunch of her nose is adorable but nevertheless, it means that she disapproves. Strongly.

“Call me Tess,” she says as she shifts her hands from your shoulders to your face where her fingers lightly trace the sharp angle of your cheekbones, her touch calming. She pulls you down into a gentle kiss, just a soft press of her lips against yours.

“As you wish, Tess.” You breathe onto her smile and deepen the kiss.

~

Scott: _So that was Tessa’s story, I hope you all enjoyed! Now I know what the big question is, did Tessa and I ever get married? Well, I’m pleased to tell you that after years and years of asking and asking and building her a whole ice rink and inventing a new sport called ice dance, I finally said yes._

Muffled voice is revealed to be Tessa: Scott. 

Scott: _Alright, alright. I asked her. And we’re living happily ever after with our four kiddies._

Tessa: Yes, we are. *pause* Ashy, no!

/~fin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FYI- their children are obviously from walkinrobe's So Dramatic universe, go and give all her phenomenal fics a read.

**Author's Note:**

> Leave a kudos, drop me a comment and let me know what you think!  
> Come yell at me on twitter if you'd like, [@ExcuseMeMsTessa](https://twitter.com/ExcuseMeMsTessa)  
> 


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